Hey guys hey!
We’re getting to that time when many of our friends are getting married, aka the wedding season. Weddings are SO fun and exciting, but it can be easy to fall eat too much cake, too many pigs in a blanket, drink one too many glasses of champagne before you end up on the dance floor, etc. and feel not-so-great the next day.
But eating healthy is always important!
So, here are some of my top tips to stay healthy & on track with your health goals at a wedding!
How to Not Overeat at a Wedding
How To Eat Healthfully at a Wedding
Here are my favorite tips for eating healthy at a wedding, while still feeling full, with no extra calories added!
CHOOSE TO HAVE A STARCHY FOOD DURING THE APPETIZERS OR THE MAIN COURSE
If you’re following my “Rules of Thumb”, you know that I recommend sticking with 1 starchy food per day.
Starchy foods include grains like bread, rice, pasta, and quinoa, but also starchy vegetables like potatoes, beans, peas, corn, hummus, French fries, etc.
Sticking with 1 serving of starchy foods is ideal – so 1 piece of bread, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or starch veg like peas.
So this means, at a wedding, let’s stick with either 2-3 small apps with starch (like pigs in a blanket, mini hamburger sliders, etc.) OR the starch you’ll typically get with the entree – so the potatoes, the pasta, etc.
A good thing to do when you’re at home is to measure out 1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, peas, etc., put it on a plate and really LOOK at what that looks like. This way, when you’re out, you’ll know what 1 portion is.
With that starch, you can eat a source of lean protein, plus roasted veggies. That’ll be leaving you feeling full, since you’ll be filling up your plate with the good stuff.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be as hard as you thought it is!
SURVEY THE APPETIZER “SCENE” TO PICK THE BEST APP
I always want my clients and those taking my course to eat the foods they love, and not waste time on “mediocre” foods.
Therefore, a good thing to do is to really survey the scene of appetizers – look around and see all that is available, and then make the best choice – or choose the appetizer that looks THE BEST and TASTIEST to you.
ALTERNATE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS WITH SELTZER
A good way to…
slow down the amount of alcohol you’re drinking, and
stay hydrated (to avoid hangovers and “munchies” food later that night and the next day)
is to alternate the alcoholic drinks you’re consuming with seltzer. That means, after every alcoholic drink, get one or two glasses of seltzer or glasses of water in between the next alcoholic drink.
Another good thing to do is to add a wedge or two of lemon or lime to your seltzer (or water if you don’t like the bubbles) – this way, it still can appear that you’re drinking (to ward off those people pushing you to drink too much!) and can make the in-between drinks more enjoyable!
STICK WITH ALCOHOL THAT DOESN’T HAVE SUGARY MIXERS
I do generally recommend an overall diet low in sugar which I believe is better for one’s health.
Here are some good examples to choose from:
Wine
Prosecco or champagne
Light beer
Hard alcohol + seltzer/ water/ or a low-calorie beverage like a diet soda
ASK FOR THE BARTENDER TO MAKE YOU “WEAK” DRINKS
This way, you can drink for a longer period of time without getting tooooo tipsy and then, let’s be honest, spiraling into “munchies” and fried food types of eating late at night and the next day.
Ask the bartender to make you drinks that have 1/2 the amount of alcohol they usually do.
So, for example, ask for a half-shot in a vodka soda, or a half-shot in a rum & diet coke.
OR, ASK FOR THE BARTENDER TO POUR YOU “HALF” DRINKS
Similar to above, ask the bartender to pour you half a glass of wine, or half a glass of prosecco. Alcohol definitely adds extra calories that we don’t want.
TAKE A DESSERT WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE
This is a tip I got from a friend in high school that I never forgot, which REALLY helps me.
Survey the scene (like we did with the appetizers) and find the BEST looking dessert – whether that’s the cake, a cupcake, a donut, etc. and pick it up and take it WITH YOU when you leave.
This way, you’re still having dessert, but there’s not a chance for seconds, thirds, or fourths!
